| Cauldron was rolled as the scenario with the British winning the roll off to decide who was playing the attacker. The British are launching strong armoured counter attacks in the region of Somerset, pushing through initial German defences but running into stiff opposition they are unsupported and risk being cut off if they can't make good their gains! |
British 7th Armoured Division
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German Panzerkompanie
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SETUP AND DEPLOYMENT
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| British Reserves |
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| German Reserves |
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| British Armour and AT assets face down dug in infantry and a formidable King Tiger! |
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| Panzer IVs over look a likely axis of advance |
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British 7th Armoured division
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German Panzerkompanie
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| British 7th Armoured division: A single British Armoured Platoon deploys to the Germans front right backed up by M10 Tank Destroyers armed with the fearsome 17 pdr anti tank weapon.
To the Germans front left another Armoured Platoon lurked behind a small copse of trees, ready to take advantage of any holes left open in the Huns defensive lines! German Panzerkompanie: The Germans centered their defence on either side of the central road, infantry to the right dug fox holes in front of some shelled homes a King Tiger in overwatch behind their position offered some heavy support. To the right a Panzer IV platoon was hidden in a small treeline hoping to pick off some of the over eager counter attacking British armour! | |
TURN 1
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| Cromwell has a lucky escape after a direct hit from the not insignificant power of the 8.8cm KwK 43 only succeeds in bailing him out |
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| The M10s have trouble navigating a tree line in an effort to find some cover |
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| The return fire smoke screens the King Tiger, shutting down his field of view |
| British 7th Armoured division |
German Panzerkompanie |
| British 7th Armoured division: The Cromwells return fire at the King Tiger but they fire smoke shells in an attempt to prevent the heavy tank using its firepower advantage, they successfully blanket the area to the front of the armoured behemoth with thick cloud of smoke. German Panzerkompanie: The Germans opened the combat with the King Tiger (who had incidentally rolled for rapid fire as his Tiger Ace skill) firing at the Cromwell tanks in the open to its front. | |
TURN 2
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| A straggling Cromwell which was hoping to further smoke the KT take a direct hit and goes up in flames! |
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| The British on the Germans left group together for a concerted dash in the following turns |
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| A plucky M10 manages to make it through the tree line to take a snap shot at the German 2ic lingering on a road, which goes straight through the Pz IVs front armour |
British 7th Armoured division
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German Panzerkompanie |
| British 7th Armoured division: The Brits luck out and I manage to get reserves early on with another Armoured Platoon appearing on the German Right further boosting the tanks and SP guns there! A single M10 makes it through the trees which stopped his comrades and beats the German 2ic on the draw and scores a direct hit (he must have been window shopping!). German Panzerkompanie: The big cat moves through the smoke screen in front of it to fire at the Cromwells still foolish enough to stay in the open, destroying one Cromwell outright. | |
TURN 3
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| German reserves catch the British in the rear |
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| Leaving two tanks with their crew dazed and the other a blazing ruin. |
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| The British tanks fight back while in the background help arrives |
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| Veteran British infantry move straight into cover of a corn field |
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| British armour surges forward |
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British 7th Armoured division
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German Panzerkompanie
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| British 7th Armoured division: The British get reserves in the form of infantry who appear to the Germans front left and the remaining Cromwell backed up with the Firefly turn on the newly arrived Panzer IVs quickly thinning their numbers. The British massed tanks on the German right flank group together for a concerted charge firing on the move they smoke the King Tiger again!
The M10s manage to remount and fire at the German commander who is taking cover behind a nearby hedge, his tank is pierced several times and quickly turns into a fireball. German Panzerkompanie: Germans manage to get reserves and a platoon of Panzer IVs arrives to the British rear and proves that the British had over stretched themselves in attempting the attack! They open fire immediately and one Cromwell up in flames and another two bailed out however the other Panzer IVs join in the fun and double bail another who fails his subsequent motivation check! The King tiger is inneffectual this round and misses its targets. | |
TURN 4
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| A Firefly falls to wild fire from the KT |
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| CS section arrives from reserve |
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| M10s catch the victorious Panzer IVs unawares in the centre |
British 7th Armoured division
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German Panzerkompanie
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| British 7th Armoured division: The M10s get into the action again quickly and push onwards to fire at the victorious Panzer IVs still loitering in the open managing to claim another kill! The Cromwells keep their smoke barrage up on the KT while still managing a speculative shot against a distant Panzer IV killing it outright! German Panzerkompanie: The Germans fail their reserve roll but manage to kill the remaining Cromwell in the already decimated platoon, the lone Firefly promptly failed its morale check and fled! The King tiger, rather than moving blazes away at targets through the smoke and manages to bag a Firefly in the confusion. | |
TURN 5
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| Pumas catch the CS section napping |
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| A guns blaze away at infantry scoring no hits! |
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| M10s begin to take casualties |
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| Pumas stormtrooper away but are penned in by British recce |
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British 7th Armoured division
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German Panzerkompanie
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| British 7th Armoured division: The British recce platoon comes on to the Germans immediate Right and immediately moves away from their lines in an attempt to catch the Pumas at their own game but miss every shot from point blank range!
The M10s rally from their recent loss and manage to inflict two more Panzer IV casualties, they're taking plenty of scalps in this battle and have easily paid for themselves in points killed!
German Panzerkompanie: The King tiger once again kicks off the turn with the bark of its gun, felling another unlucky Cromwell forcing a platoon morale check (which is failed at the loss of the CiC who tried to rally them) while the supporting Panzer IVs destroy one M10 and bail another. The German reserves are beginning to appear again and a platoon of Sdkfz 7/2 AA guns springs against the unsuspecting British infantry but fails to land any hits while a trio of Pumas similarly catches the CS platoon only to manage a single bailed vehicle! | |
TURN 6
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| Massed fire takes its toll on the lightly armoured half tracks |
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| The death of a big cat! |
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| The Pumas get their come uppance! |
British 7th Armoured division
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German Panzerkompanie
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| British 7th Armoured division: The British infantry immediately react to the aggressive AA guns and move towards them firing as they go managing to kill one of them with a Piat and the last falling to very lucky Rifle/MG fire!
The CS tanks fire at the Pumas harrying their flanks and manage to kill a vehicle and the tank MGs bail another with a lucky hit!
Back in the centre the platoon command Cromwell makes a mad dash forward in attempt to catch the King Tiger in the side while his comrades smoke it again from the front while the Firefly manages a tremendously lucky shot against a distant Puma killing it! The mad dash pays off and he hits his mark (who then rolls a 1 on his armour save!) and successfully rolls his firepower check to destroy the King Tiger! With this linchpin removed the German defence around the central objective is looking decidedly shaky! German Panzerkompanie: The 7/2s further try to punish the British infantry scoring 4 hits on them but inflicting no casualties, across the board the Pumas fire at the British recce who succesfully break off and take no hits. In the centre the King Tiger moved from its almost permanent smoke screen to fire at the British tankers but misses while the nearby Panzer IVs move to better protect their flanks. | |
TURN 7
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| Unprotected infantry are charged at! |
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| M10s blaze away with no effect upon the enemy |
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| The tanks roll in! |
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| Casualties begin to mount on both sides |
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British 7th Armoured division
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German Panzerkompanie
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| British 7th Armoured division: With the dug in Panzergrenadiers now wholly unprotected the remaining British armour and the Recce vehicles surge towards them with MGs blazing (scoring absolutely zero hits!).
The M10s go for the kill and aggressively manouver towards the remaining Panzer IVs and fire on them, missing all 5 shots!
Unwilling to drag out the situation any longer and frustrated by sparring with the King tiger for several turns the tankers charge the dug in Panzergrenadiers and a bloody melee ensues. The Armoured platoons loses one to enemy action and one bailed after several rounds of combat but eventual fail a motivation check to counterattack (damn their reluctance!) but on withdrawing the enemy have taken so many casualties that they in turn fail their motivation check! This leaves the German commander with an upcoming Company Morale check, no commanders left and nothing to contest the central objective so he concedes the game! German Panzerkompanie: The German infantry try to get a sneaky assault off at the M10s through the house they're adjecent to but fail their "Tank Terror" and don't even leave their fox holes! The few remaining Panzer IVs and Pumas all fire at relatively close targets bus all miss their marks, perhaps signs of losing spirit!? | |
| The game ended up being very bloody for both sides with most of the German casualties coming towards the end of the battle. Starmonkee felt that he could have used his reserves a little better and should have grouped his Pumas and 7/2s together in an attempt to crush my infantry successfully and I'm inclined to agree with him. For my part I could've used my Recce as they were intended and removed some GtG status but ended up using them in more of a combative role, this just shows how little I've used them as opposed to my Stuarts! The King Tiger was unlucky to get caught out at the end and without a tiny mistake in its manouvering which allowed me a single unmolested side shot I think the game would've been decidedly bloodier! Great game in conclusion with the British managing a successful attack even though I had major doubts in the middle of the game when German reinforcements came thick and fast! |
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